Thanksgiving Thought & Hand Painted China by Me

Way back in 1966 when I was eight years old, my dad went to Vietnam, and we moved back to New Orleans so my mom could be close to her family while he was away. In addition to doing well academically, my parents always encouraged my interests in art, and I was provided with opportunities like piano lessons and boys' choir. There was an elderly French nun at the church where my grandparents lived - Sr. Juliana - who taught China painting. I painted these two plain "blanks", the small bowl with Violets, and the hand with roses. Those were my birthday gifts to my parents that year. Many years have passed, and they came back to me. One day, I will pass them on to my own grown children. When my daughter was a child, I showed her how to draw roses and violets.

Now, I'm a systems analyst, and my daughter is a scientist, but we still love art. I am very thankful that my parents encouraged me in both the arts and the sciences and let me decide what I wanted to do with my life. Now, art is still my hobby, whether collecting, doing photography, or sketching.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, and I have a lot to be thankful for!!! I would like to wish all of my Collector friends a very happy Thanksgiving (whether you are in a country that celebrates it or not), and bear in mind what we should all be thankful for what we have and the wonderful opportunities that those who came before us have provided. Cheers! - Bob